Toy construction kit comprising integrable structural elements of different types



Sept. 15, 1970 K. F. MEATES 3,528,192

TOY CONSTRUCTION KIT COMPRISING INTEGRABLE STRUCTURAL ELEIENTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES Filed Nov. 8. 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 I l "I I 0) 02% o o o 0 0 O 0 I 2 3 FIG.1

FIG 2 3 Fla? v F|G.8 FIG 9 INVENTOR KEV N Fkolms Mum's W m Sept. 15, 1970 K. F. MEATES 3,528,192 TOY CONSTRUCTION KIT COIPRISING INTEGRABLE STRUCTURAL ELEIIENTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES Filed Nov. 8. 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 INVENTOR 3 KEVIN FR'nIw/s MEIH'ES mwhwm/ W Sept. 15, 1970 1 K F, MEATEs 3,528,192

TOY CONSTRUCTION KIT COMPRISING INTEGRABLE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES Filed Nov. 8. 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 H I -r;:-

FIG.13 FIG.14

I O 0 w I I mow FIG.15

2B 37 28 26 26 37 26 U (U E E 34 35 FIG. 16 FIG."

3/7 2\6 2'8 317 3 g) C C) F|G.1B

INVENTOR KEVIN mar/us MEflTEs Sept. 15, 1970 K. F. MEATES 3,528,192

TOY CONSTRUCTION KIT COMPRISING INTEGRABLE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES Filed Nov. 8. 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w VENTdR KEVIN FRRNHS HEBTES WMW United States Patent 3,528,192 TOY CONSTRUCTION KIT COMPRISING IN- TEGRABLE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES Kevin F. Meates, 6 Clifford Ave., Christchurch, New Zealand Filed Nov. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 681,372 Claims priority, application New Zealand, Oct. 9, 1967, 150,301 Int. Cl. A63h 33/04 US. Cl. 4616 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy construction kit comprising a first set of structural elements, each formed with three pluralities of holes, a second set of structural elements, each formed with mating protrusions and recesses and with holes, and pegs adapted in part to engage in the holes of one of the pluralities in the first structural elements and in part to engage in the recesses in the second structural elements. The projections, recesses and holes of the second elements are arranged to enable connection with the first elements through respective pluralities of holes.

The invention relates to toy construction kits of two types, the first comprising structural elements formed with a plurality of holes and connected by rods and/or nuts and bolts, and the second comprising structural elements formed with and connected by coacting projections and recesses.

The first type of kit is best suited to the construction of mobile or mechanical toys, such as toy cars and cranes, and the second type of kit is best suited to the construction of stationary or non-mechanical toys, such as toy buildings of various kinds.

Conventional toy construction kits of these two types are non-integrable, in the sense that the structural elements of one type of kit cannot be connected to and used in combination with the structural elements of the other type of kit.

The general object of the present invention is the provision of a composite toy construction kit comprising structural elements of the two types hereinbefore described, the said elements being modified to render elements of one type integrable with elements of the other type, so as to enable the two types of elements to be used in combination with each other.

According to the invention, a toy construction kit comprises structural elements of the two types hereinbefore described, the structural elements of the first type being formed with additional holes adapted to receive either the projections on the structural elements of the second type or separate pegs adapted in part to engage in the recesses in the structural elements of the second type.

Preferably, the structural elements of the second type are formed with a number of holes arranged to coincide with a corresponding number of the original holes in the structural elements of the first type.

Preferably, also, the holes formed in the structural elements of the second type are equal in diameter to the original holes in the structural elements of the first type.

The additional holes formed in the structural elements of the first type are preferably adapted to receive only the pegs, which are stepped in diameter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 shows a structural element of the first type modified according to the invention;

ice

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a structural element of the second type modified according to the invention;

FIG. 5 shows the end elevation of the modified structural element of the second type;

FIG. 6 shows the underside of the modified structural element of the second type;

FIG. 7 shows a sectional view on the line 7-7 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view on the line 8-8 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 shows a peg for connecting the modified structural elements of the two types;

FIGS. 10 to 15 show further structural members of the first type modified according to the invention;

FIGS. 16 to 18 show further structural members of the second type modified according to the invention; and

FIGS. 19 to 28 show additional modifications applicable to structural elements of the first type.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 9, a toy construction kit comprises a plurality of structural elements 20 and 21 of the two types hereinbefore described, which are modified so that they can be connected together by pegs 22.

The structural elements 20 are formed with a plurality of large and small diameter holes 23 and 24 whereby the structural elements 20 can be connected together by rods and/or nuts and bolts (not shown), and with holes 25 adapted to receive the pegs 22.

The structural elements 21 are formed with a plurality of coacting projections 26 and recesses 27 whereby the structural elements 21 can be connected together, and with holes 28 equal in diameter to, and arranged to coincide with, the holes 24 in the structural elements 20.

The pegs 22 are stepped in diameter and are adapted in part to engage in the holes 25 formed in the structural elements 20, and in part to engage in the recesses 27 formed in the structural elements 21.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 to 15, the toy construction kit may also comprise a plurality of structural elements 30, 31, 32 and 33 derived from the modified structural elements 20, and formed with holes 23, 24 and 25 corresponding to, and serving the same purposes as, the holes 23, 24 and 25 of the elements 20.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 to 18, the toy construction kit may also comprise a plurality of structural members 34, 35 and 36 derived from the modified structural elements 21, and formed with projections 26 recesses (not shown), and holes 28, corresponding to, and serving the same purposes as, the projections 26 recesses 27, and holes 28 of the elements 21. In addition, the structural members 34, 35 and 36 are formed with holes 37 equal in diameter to, and arranged to coincide with, the holes 23 in the structural elements 20, 30, 31, 32 and 33.

Referring now to FIGS. 19 to 28, the toy construction kit may also comprise a plurality of structural elements 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 derived from the structural elements 20, which are formed with either slots 49, or notches 50, resulting in reduced portions, or a combination of both, so that they can be connected together without the aid of rods and/or nuts and bolts (not shown). The length of the slots 49 and the length of the notches 50 are made substantially equal to the Width of the structural elements 38 to 47, and the width of the slots 49 and the depth of the notches 50 are made substantially equal to the thickness of the structural elements 38 to 47 see FIG. 19. It will be readily apparent from FIGS, 19 to 28 that the thickness of the structural elements 38 to 47 is made substantially equal to one third of the width thereof to provide the best results. The structural elements 38 to 47 can of course be connected to the 3 structural elements 20, 30, 31, 32 and 33, all of which have the same cross-section as the structural elements 38 to 47, compare FIGS. 2 and 19.

As shown in FIGS. 19 to 28, the structural elements 38 to 47 are all formed with holes 23, 24 and 25 corresponding to, and serving the same purposes as, the holes 23, 24 and 25 of the structural elements 20 and 30 to 33 shown, respectively, in FIG. 1 and FIGS. to 15.

The structural elements 30 to 36 shown in FIGS. 10 to 18, and the structural elements 38 to 47 shown in FIGS. 19 to 28, are all intended to increase the variety of toys that can be constructed, and represent only a sample of the structural elements that can be derived from the original modified structural elements and 21.

In an alternative construction (not illustrated in the drawings), the holes formed in the structural elements 20, and all the structural elements derived therefrom, are increased in diameter so as to receive the projections 26 formed on the structural elements 21, and all the structural elements derived therefrom. The pegs 22 can then be either made in one diameter throughout, or they may be dispensed with altogether.

The structural elements of both types and the pegs are all made from a suitable plastic material such as polythene, and the rods, and nuts and bolts (not shown) provided to connect the structural elements of the first type are made either from a suitable plastic material such as polythene, or from metal.

The composite toy construction kit provided by the present invention combines the advantages of two well known, but hitherto non-integrable, types of toy construction kits, and thereby greatly increases the variety and complexity of the toys that can be constructed.

I claim:

1. A toy construction kit comprising first structural elements and second structural elements, said first structural elements each having a plurality of large and of small regularly spaced holes extending therethrough and arranged to receive rod-like members for securing said first structural elements together, said second structural elements each having a plurality of coacting regularly spaced projections and recesses formed on the surfaces thereof and the dimensions of the projections and recesses arranged and proportioned for mating with each other for interconnecting said second structural elements together, each of said second structural elements having a plurality of small holes therethrough having the same diameter as the small holes in said first structural elements and the said small holes in said second structural elements being spaced to align with the small holes in respective ones of said first structural elements, said first structural elements having a third plurality of holes formed therethrough spaced from the large and small holes and regularly spaced from each other in the same pattern as the projections and recesses on said second structural elements for affording interconnection of said first and second structural elements by way of the third holes in said first structural elements and one of the recesses and projections in said second structural elements.

2. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 1, and separate pegs arranged to fit into the third holes in said first structural elements and the recesses in said second structural elements for interconnecting said first and sec ond structural elements together.

3. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 2, the third holes in said first structural elements having a smaller diameter than the recesses in said second structural elements, and said pegs having a stepped diameter arrangement in the axial direction for affording two dilferent diameters on said peg with one diameter arranged to provide a connecting fit within one of the third holes in said first structural elements and the other diameter arranged to provide a connecting fit within one of the recesses in said second structural element.

4. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 1, the third holes in said first structural elements having the same diameter as the projections on said second structural ele ments for receiving the projections therein for holding said first and said second structural elements together.

5. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 1, at least some of said first structural elements having slots formed therein and at least some of said first elements having notches therein forming reduced portions and the slots and reduced portions being dimensioned to interfit for connecting and securing said first structural elements together.

6. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the length of the slots and the notches are equal to the width of said first elements containing the slots and notches and the width of the slots and the depth of the notches are equal to the thickness of the first structural elements containing the slots and notches.

7. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 6, said first structural elements containing the slots and notches having a thickness of A the width thereof.

8. A toy construction kit, as set forth in claim 1, each said first structural element having at least a first rectilinear section positioned in a single plane, and additional rectilinear sections secured to and extending at an angle to the axis of said first rectilinear sections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,224,135 12/1965 Wright et a1. 4617 3,415,007 12/1968 Howe 46-25 X FOREIGN PATENTS 241,012 l/ 1960 Australia.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46-25, 26 

